


Wood Carving

by galacticnebula



Series: Cullen Rutherford and Evelyn Trevelyan Romantic One-Shots [5]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Awkward Romance, Cheesy, Declarations Of Love, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Healing, Mages, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-03-27
Packaged: 2019-12-25 06:57:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18256112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galacticnebula/pseuds/galacticnebula
Summary: During a late evening, Evelyn stops by Cullen's office to deliver a letter from Leliana. She never expected to discover her Commander's artistic hobby.





	Wood Carving

The sun had set down, the moonlight becoming the only guide in the darkness of the night. She stood by the door of the Commander’s office, tightening her grasp around a rolled parchment of paper. She could see a faint light from his office, indicating that he was still awake. Normally the recruits would be the ones delivering messages, but she wanted a reason to speak to him… in private. Her body was tense, ready to flee if she couldn’t muster enough courage to knock. But she firmly shook away the nervousness. She raised a hand and knocked on the door.

Evelyn Trevelyan didn’t back out from stressful situations. As the Inquisitor, she fought dragons, killed the most horrendous creatures and constantly had to make life changing decisions that were definitely not unanimous amongst the people. Confronting Cullen Rutherford about her developing feelings for him was a minor problem compared to her Inquisitorial tasks. Why was she suddenly acting like an awkward teenager?

Evelyn waited patiently. She looked around on the battlements, making sure no one else saw her stupidly waiting in front of Cullen’s closed door late in the evening. To her relief, there were no soldiers in sight at that moment. She’d have to be quick though, patrols did walk by Cullen’s office often. She lifted her hand to knock again, but a noise coming from inside stopped her.

Her ear pressed to the door, she tried to make out the faint grumble inside. She quietly casted a magical sound spell that decreased the sound insulation of the thick wooden door. It was totally cheating… But nobody was watching her anyway.

She heard the sound of a metallic object hitting the floor and then rustling. Cullen let out a curse, sounding rather more in pain than angry. The outburst prompted Evelyn to push the door open, which wasn't even locked to her surprise.

The Inquisitor stumbled into Cullen's office and the door slammed shut behind her. Crap! That wasn't exactly the discretion she had in mind... Steps were heard above her, confirming that the Commander was up in his chambers.

“Who’s there?” a threatening voice prompted.

Evelyn froze. What was she supposed to say? _Yes, hum, Cullen, I just wanted to tell you how much I find you handsome and perfect. I've been wanting to kiss you so badly. I would love to obey to your commands, Commander._

Yeah right, real smooth.

“It's only me, Evelyn,” she said, looking up the ladder. “I… I've got a letter for you.”

“Inquisitor! My bad. I-I will be right there. Please hold on a minute.”

She heard more noise above her, and the sound of something slamming shut. It took more than a minute, maybe three? What in Andraste's name was he doing?

The idle time made her even more nervous. What if she blanked out after handing him the letter and was forced to leave his office to avoid the awkwardness of the following silence? Then all her efforts would have been for nothing. The tension and the flirting will continue in an endless loop until one of them acted on it. Anyone who was a bit more than an acquaintance with Cullen perfectly knew that _Cullen_ and _women_ don't go together… at all. He became very shy whenever the subject of female sexuality and courting was brought up.

Now, she shouldn't complain, she was the one acting in a goofy manner.

“I apologize for this, Inquisitor,” Cullen said as he stumblingly climbed down the ladder. “I was… busy.”

 _Busy._ Whatever that meant.

“I see.” Evelyn replied suspiciously.

Cullen wore a beige tunic over his dark leather pants, which she assumed was his night clothing. Rare were the chances that one could see him out of him armor. It was like a second skin to him.

Something seemed off though, other than the fact that he wasn't wearing his bloody armor and fur. She noticed tiny stains on his shirt. Wait, these weren't stains. They looked like shards...? Wooden shards?

“So you had a letter for me…?” he said, staring at Evelyn.

She snapped her attention back and fumbled with the paper in her hands, then handed it to him. “Leliana asked me to deliver this to you. Inquisitorial matters.”

Cullen's blonde hair had lost the shapely form they had during the day, the mystery substance he usually put on starting to wear off. She could see golden curls of hair oozing out, which made her smile instinctively. It was the first time she saw the Commander so disheveled.

He took the letter while giving her a quizzical look, then took a glimpse at its content. “Right. I'll tackle this first thing in the morning. Thank you Inquisitor.”

He laid the letter on the endless pile of work he had to get done over the next day.

“Please, off with the formalities. You can just call me Evelyn…” she trailed off.

She was distracted again by Cullen's hand; which was clumsily bandaged, a white cloth oddly wrapped around his hand. Blood was spreading over the cloth quickly, showing the lack of absorbency.

“Cullen, you’re bleeding!”

Her caring side took her, forgetting all the awkwardness she felt seconds earlier. She softly took the his hand in hers and tended to the awful bandage. “Where is your first-aid material? This could get badly infected. I can try healing it with my magic, after we clean it off.”

The Commander winced at the pressure on his wounded hand. He looked tired. “It’s up in my chambers, in my chest.”

“I’ll go get it,” Evelyn said firmly, heading towards the ladder.

Panic spread on his face. “Wait!”

Unfortunately for him, Evelyn’s agility and quick pace allowed her to go up in less than a few seconds, before he could stop her. She strolled through his chamber and grabbed a candle tray. She was unsurprised by the tidiness of the room. _Expected from the Commander_. A brisk wind made its way through the hole in his roof, cooling the temperature. She suddenly felt empathetic for Cullen. Did he really sleep in this setting? No wonder he had trouble sleeping. And above all that, he had his lyrium withdrawal symptoms to deal with.

She spotted the chest and swiftly walked up to it. Next to it stood an old log stool, surrounded wooden shards. Instinctively, she scanned her surroundings for any damage from the roof or any nearby object. A large bottle grabbed her attention and she inspected its content. _Booze._ He had been drinking... This was also unusual. But that didn't justify anything, it wasn't glass shards on the ground. She hesitantly pulled the chest open and brought the candle a bit closer.

_Wood figurines._

A raven, a bear, a small sword, a shield, a horse... These were the products of wood carving. Upon closer inspection, she realized they harbored detail, carved with precision and patience. She stared at the objects in disbelief. No doubt these were Cullen’s work since they were in his bedroom chest. Yet, how did he even find the time to make these piece of arts?

A touch on her shoulder made her jump from her trance, almost dropping the candle tray. Her quick reflexes prevented her from doing so, by chance. She turned around to face Cullen, who was heavily blushing.

“I never thought I’d have to explain this…” he muttered with his uninjured hand behind his neck.

 _The booze or the wood figurines?_ Evelyn asked mentally, but quickly returned to the important task at hand, pulling out the alcohol and a clean tissue from the chest. She motioned at the Commander to sit down on the nearby log stool, then kneeled down before him and lay the candle next to them. She gently pulled his hand towards her, then unwrapped the bandage and cringed at the gravity of the cut that went down to the inner palm of his hand. It was as if he legitimately pushed the blade across his hand.

“I didn’t know you were a wood carver,” she said, suddenly understanding how he injured himself.

He chuckled. “Back in Honnleath, my father taught Branson and I the art of wood crafting. We were only little kids.”

Imagining a little Cullen made Evelyn’s stomach flutter. She wondered what his parents looked like… He probably had his father’s eyes and inherited his mother’s golden locks. The perfect nose was surely after her mother. She shook her head, getting swarmed away by the image she made up in her mind.

After soaking a part of the cloth in alcohol, she delicately pressed it over his wounded fingers and the palm of his hand. Cullen hissed painfully at the contact, but didn’t budge or make any other noise. Again, she felt a wave of pity for the man. He had endured so much pain in his life that he learned to simply ignore it.

He continued with his story. “I never knew my grandfather, but I’ve heard great stories about him being a prestigious wood carver. Merchants from other villages traveled for days or weeks to buy his work, and his products had an excellent reputation amongst nobility. My own father had learned through his expertise and… I guess he wanted to share this asset with us.”

Come to think of it, she recalled having small wooden figurines in her house back in Ostwick, before she was sent to the Circle. Her parents loved crafts as decorative elements.

Cullen spoke without hesitation, carried by his own memories. Evelyn found it endearing, but she was mostly stunned by his current state of mindlessness. Normally, he was not the type to share personal anecdotes so easily.

Evelyn finished cleaning up his wounds. She put the cloth down and took a flask out of the chest. She inspected its content to make sure it was the correct substance, then began to apply it on Cullen’s hand. He was intently looking down at her, almost mesmerized. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t embarrassed about the intimate position they were in. Her kneeling in front of Cullen, in his chambers out of all places, and late in the evening… It wasn't exactly how she had planned out the events to go..

“Your father made the right decision. How comes I’ve never seen you craft?” she asked genuinely, with a smirk.

“It’s, ah, only a late-night hobby. I don’t mean to interfere with the Inquisition’s tasks.”

“Cullen, this doesn’t interfere at all. I’m just surprised to see you occupy yourself on other matters, especially artistic ones...”

His expression faltered for a moment. Immediately, Evelyn facepalmed herself. It sounded like she was scolding him for having a hobby like a normal person, when it was the opposite.

“Not that you shouldn't! I mean, you are allowed to do things unrelated to the Inquisition…”

He widely smiled at her understandingly.

 “Anyway, I-I just think it’s nice to see you relaxing for once,” she said, blushing.

_Really, Evelyn?_

With the substance well-spread on his skin, she prepared herself - and Cullen - for the healing spell. “This might be uncomfortable. Are you ready?”

While Cullen had accepted and learned to embrace the presence of mages in the Inquisition's corps, Evelyn wasn't sure if being this close to magic would still anger him, let alone being in contact with it. But then again, it was her magic, not some random mage's. He trusted her, right?

He pressed his other hand on hers. “Just do it quickly.”

He looked at her calmly and still, but she could discern a distress in his slightly shaking hand. She nodded and focused, not wanting to drag this for long. “It’ll be quick. Please trust me.”

A white glow emitted from her hand as the healing spell worked on the wounds. Twinkles of light traced from his fingers to the palm of his hand, making its way up to his wrist. As she targeted the open wound, she could hear Cullen’s hasty breath. He was sweating.

“I’m almost done,” she reassured him.

A few seconds went by and she release the tension. The magic faded away, plunging the room back into near obscurity. Cullen let out a sigh and wiggled his fingers.

“The pain should be gone by tomorrow morning. The magic temporary built a protective shield to prevent infection, but you still shouldn’t undergo drastic activities that would reopen the wound for a week, as a normal healing process,” she stated in a professional way. “My healing powers are only elementary, but it’s the least I can do.”

She finally wrapped a new cloth around his hand, then stood up. With this diversion over, her thoughts swirled again. What was she supposed to do now? Hug him? Kiss him? Dramatically admit her love for him? Leave? She gathered the healing apparatus and put it back in the chest.

No. There was no backing out. The past hour had been all but exhilarating for her, despite not displaying obvious physical signs. She realized what was this warmth she felt as they momentarily shared this intimacy. She would do it any time again just to be with him, close to him. But all of this was naive and emotional. She was the Inquisitor, not some random noble.

She faced him. “Cullen, I-”

“What do you think about this one?”

Cullen held out a wooden figurine. Evelyn inspected it as it fitted into the palm of her hand. Instead of being a concrete animal or creature, it was a lion head carved out on one side of a small circular piece of wood. The lion’s mane was spread wide, creating a halo around the animal's face. The piece was nearly flat on the other side.

“I, ah… I was finished with it just before you trespassed into your Commander's quarters for a letter that could have been delivered later,” he said teasingly as he stepped closer to her. “It’s yours.”

Evelyn was used to have the hold of every situation. Her eagerness to understand where, what, who, when and why was like a second nature. Now that she couldn't read his expression and know where this was heading, she felt anxious. The real reason she came into his office was to tell him about her feelings, not even expecting him to return them. His sudden confidence set her aback. On top of all, he had been drinking, so his inhibitions may have been slightly hindered. But at least he wasn't _that_ drunk.

She felt the wooden piece in her fingers. It had been clearly carved with love and patience. She held it close to her heart, then stored it into her breast pocket.

“Thank you, Cullen…”

She gasped as he pulled her tightly into an embrace. The closeness allowed her to smell the faint aroma of booze oozing out from him. She sighed mentally. _Using a knife to carve into wood after drinking. Of course that’s prone to injuries, you dumbass._

She returned the embrace with the same amount of passion. No words were needed to express how good it felt to be in his arms, as if she had wanted this forever. The way he held her close to him tightly, his arms wrapped around her smaller form possessively… It drew out her feminine instincts, a sense of protection sending butterflies in her stomach. She felt very giddy.

To her own surprise, the Inquisitor let herself get carried by her own emotions as she lifted a hand to to his hair, caressing his upper neck along the way. She pressed her lips to the side of his neck, earning a low satisfied growl from him. His blonde curls tickled against her cheek, and she felt his warm breath against her ear. Her face heated up.

With all the courage she could muster, she took his face between her hands. He held an hypnotized expression on his face. “Actually, I came here to tell you this.”

Her judgment was clouded by lust, her pulpous lips pressed against his rough ones. A sense of urgency and desperation loomed through the kiss that quickly deepened as he eagerly returned it. They both clang on to each other, hands roaming on restricted body areas, then they fell on the bed.

***-*-*-*-*-*-***

Evelyn shivered at the freezing air swooping into the bedroom, and tried teaching for the warmth of covers. As she gave a tug to the blanket, she realized it was stuck. She faintly made out the body next to her, under a weak light. The sun was only starting to appear within the horizon, indicating the early minutes of waking hours.

The events of the previous night flowed back to her. With a smile, she propped herself on her elbows and turned to face the warm naked body beside her. Cullen had his back to her and the blanket was tangled around his lower body. She wondered how in the Maker’s name he wasn’t trembling from the cool air oozing in from the hole in his roof.

Her smile quickly faded as she saw him _actually_ trembling and mumbling incomprehensive words. But it wasn’t because of the cold. She could feel heat coming out of him, then she noticed how heavily he was sweating. With only good intentions, she softly put a hand on his wet shoulder.

Cullen’s eyes snapped out open, then he jolted up from the bed and pulled a sword from under the bed in a split second, his bandaged hand in the air. He held the sharp end to Evelyn’s throat, who promptly jumped out of the bed in a defensive stance, out of reflex. She felt naked without any defense gear. _Oh wait, she was literally naked anyway._

With nothing to cover herself nearby, she used her arms and hands to hide herself as much as she could. The look on his face was scary; he showed aggressivity and anger. She recoiled, not daring to make any move that would provoke him.

It took a while before Cullen finally dropped his sword down. It hit the floor in a loud clinking sound, and his eyes went wide upon realization. He let himself fall in a sitting position on the edge of his bed, hands covering his face. The Inquisitor didn’t move a centimeter and held out her breath.

“Maker’s breath. I…  apologize for this crude display,” he said groggily. “The dreams… these fucking dreams.”

He refused to look at Evelyn, who was slowly taking her place back onto the mattress. This time, she kept her hands to herself, not wanting to make him jerk at her. “It’s alright…”

Right. He had told her about his lyrium withdrawal, but she never realized how bad it was for him.

“No, it is not alright,” he clenched his fists, but quickly stopped because of his injured hand. “Why… why would you want someone who points a sword at you first thing in the morning…”

He wasn't totally wrong. She did consider running away, but for Cullen's sake, there was no way she could do that. There was nothing she regretted about the night they had just spent together. She had walked in with one thing in mind, then ended up getting much more than she deserved.

“Just give it a bit of time, I believe it will fade over time,” she said comfortingly.

Her endorphins were still too high to turn this conversation bitter.

He sighed. “I hope you're right about this.”

She decided to hug him from behind, mindlessly pressing her breasts against his back, earning a shudder from him. “We will defeat Corypheus, and you will get through your withdrawal.”

He put his feet back on the cushion and turned toward her, after covering himself with the blanket. “Your magic worked. My hand's already doing better. Thank you Inquis- Evelyn.”

Both were heavily blushing from their mutual naked states. Evelyn still couldn't believe it. The day before she could barely think of stepping into the Commander's office with no practical reason, now she was in his bed, fully exposed. She cuddled to his side, comfortably leaning her head on his chest.

“You must be wondering about the booze… I honestly thought I'd drift to sleep after, but then I started carving wood.”

_And that was reckless._

“You're smart, strong and handsome, but I didn't know you could be such an idiot,” she replied without restraint. “But I still love you.”

“I love you too.”

The words reached to her deeply. _He loved her._ Her worries about him refusing her advances were all but false assumptions. She suddenly wanted to ask him so many questions. For how long has he been feeling the same? Also, since when did he drink in his office…? But the sun rays began pouring through the small window alerted her of the day ahead.

Evelyn pulled off from the bed and started to get dressed. “I need to return to my chambers before someone's barges in my room with questions.”

Cullen snickered. “Hopefully they don't enter as skillfully as you did.”

She stuck out her tongue at him. As much as she badly wanted to stay with him in such privacy, duty called. And he knew it as well.

“Oh Cullen, you've just never seen my true skills."


End file.
